


With Age Comes Wisdom

by rainbowtourmaline



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Study, Confessions, Death, F/F, F/M, Flowers, Fortune Telling, Gen, Growing Old Together, Humor, Legend of Korra Canon Compliant, Legends, Love Confessions, M/M, Memories, Multi, Old Age, Old Friends, Palm Reading, Political Unrest, Reincarnation, Romance, Sickness, Sleeping Beauty Elements, Storming the castle, Women becoming legends, fairytales - Freeform, families, political strife
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-15
Updated: 2016-08-20
Packaged: 2018-08-08 17:40:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7767148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainbowtourmaline/pseuds/rainbowtourmaline
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A much older Katara remembers a past life time and the memory spurs her on to take action in the present. </p><p>Each chapter will fulfil the Zutara Week 2016 prompts - Reincarnation, Memories, Fever, Lilac and Candles.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Oma and Reincarnation

**Author's Note:**

> The first chapter is about Oma, then the rest of the story will be about Katara. 
> 
> As you will hopefully be able to tell, I did some research about palm reading. If the information is incorrect, please tell me.

**_“Good advice comes from bad experiences.”_ **

Oma was old, cold and hard to lie with. Not that anyone would try to lie with her when her hands felt like ice and her body was hard and rock solid from years of Earthbending and fighting. She was a respected warrior and champion for peace for years and it showed in her taught muscles.

“I brought your tea grandma.” A young woman dressed in elegant green pastel colours entered the room and brought the light in with her. This young lady was very much Oma’s opposite in everything, but the old woman smiled proudly up at her granddaughter nonetheless. “This should get rid of the shivers.”

“Ahiru, the only thing that will get rid of my shivers is the sweet embrace of death.” Oma made a garbled chuckle when her granddaughter gasped in a ladylike manner that would make the most refined women in court jealous, but that did nothing to stop Ahiru from fretting. In fact, it sent Ahiru into full smothering – sorry, mothering mode.

“Please don’t talk like that Grandma. I’m sure you’ll bounce back. People in worse conditions make a full recovery every day!” Oma wanted to believe what Ahiru was saying as the girl was the finest healer in Omashu thanks to her sponsorship, but experience had taught Oma that life rarely worked out like the fairy tales Ahiru loved so much. “You just need something to lift your spirits.”

“My darling granddaughter my bones ache, I’m ice cold, your father won’t do anything about the corruption within the palace walls because he’s got his pockets full of dirty money and mark my words, the four nations will be at each other’s throats unless we all get our act together.” Oma didn’t mention Shu. She never talked about Shu, much less let herself think about him. “How are my spirits supposed to be lifted?”

“Oh, you’re just being pessimistic Grandma, like always.” Ahiru’s bright green eyes light up and the lights turn on in her head. “I know! I’ll get you a fortune teller!”

“You’re right Ahiru, laughter is the best medicine! Haha!” Oma cackled like a mad woman on opium until she swore she was going to hack out her lungs and nearly spewed blood onto Ahiru. The young healer didn’t even flinch at the blood staining her fine robes as she lifted the muscly, heavy women upright and patted her on the back. When Oma stopped coughing and Ahiru was done dabbing the blood off of her chin, the young girl gently held the old woman’s freezing hand. Oma smiled at contrast in temperature between herself and Ahiru.

“I was going to say that the fortune teller would put your mind at ease.” Ahiru gently said. “But if you think comedy is the cure, then that’s all right too.”   

Oma was gonna bitterly protest Ahiru’s suggestion and tell her to not waste her money on a hack and a con artist, but Oma did what she rarely ever did in her life long life.

“The fortune teller can come tomorrow.” she relented. “But if she wakes me before I’m ready to rise, she won’t see what’s coming when I put my boot to her backside.”

Ahiru bit her inner cheek at the image out of respect for a venerated elder who she knew wasn’t able to leave her bed, much less put up a fight, and kindness towards the poor fortune teller who would find a worthy adversary in Oma. She saved her ladylike giggles for the hallway, where she thought Oma couldn’t hear.

Oma fell back onto her bed and sighed sadly in her empty and dark room. She closed her eyes and prayed.  

“Spirits have mercy on me and take me away before that old hag tells me a bunch of nonsense I could have guessed was coming a mile away.” 

When Oma heard the distance sound of laughter, she hoped it was Ahiru tittering at her husband’s lame jokes, rather than the sound of a cruel spirit mocking her or acting like they were in on some secret she wasn’t privy to. Oma had greatly approved of Ahiru’s choice of husband and went to great lengths to stop her son from breaking up the love match, but monkey feathers did the young couple share a terrible sense of humour.

“It would be nice if you could kill me before I have to listen to another one of Shiro’s jokes too.”

* * *

 

**_“One day, you’ll be just a memory for some people. Do your best to be a good one.”_ **

Oma would get her wish.

“I will bring you back a souvenir, grandma.” Shiro lightly kissed Oma on her wrinkly forehead. The old lady bit her tongue, not wanting to say anything nasty in front of Ahiru, who was already crying because her beloved was off to war. So she said this to her grandson in law:  

“Don’t die on the battle field or I’ll kick the bucket too and torment you in the spirit world before you can even reincarnate.”

“Grandma!” 

“I won’t have a grandson in law who leaves my Ahiru behind.” Oma snarled at Shiro, who only laughed like she had made the funniest joke in the world and ventured to give Oma another kiss, but this time on her wrinkly old cheek. Had Oma been a firebender instead of an earthbender, she’d have been breathing the fiery element like a dragon.

“I won’t let you or Ahiru down, ma'am!” he gave her a salute before leaving the room with Ahiru, so they could bid each other goodbye in private. “I will see you when I return from battle, in the human world.”

Oma’s skin turned a rosy colour under her sheets and when both Ahiru and Shiro left, she already regretted not telling the boy ‘thank you’ for loving her granddaughter wholeheartedly, for being a good soldier and more importantly an honest, decent human being. Oma predicted the world would need more of the former than the latter in days to come for Oma would face the most terrifying of spirits before she would deal with the human snail-snakes that slithered within Omashu’s walls.

“Grandma,” Oma carefully peered over the covers to see her granddaughter, whose eyes were blotchy and her smile not quite reaching her ears. “The fortune teller is ready.”

Oma’s arms wobbled as she lifted herself from the bed and reached for Ahiru, who pleaded with her to not get up. Oma didn’t listen.

“He’ll be back.” Oma smiled at Ahiru and resisted the urge to cough. “Shiro may be stupid, idealistic and terrible at telling jokes. He’s also the biggest dork on the planet.”  Oma’s smile reached her ears when Ahiru started laughing. Oma continued and said: “But he is not _foolhardy_.”

 And Oma thanked the spirits every damn day for that.

“The fortune teller said the same thing.” Ahiru sobbed with happiness. Oma let her hand go and frowned.

Oma loved Ahiru more than anything in this damn world, but monkey feathers did she want to smack the stupid grin off her face.

“Don’t compare me to that hack!” Oma snapped but Ahiru just laughed, her smile going up to her ears this time. It made Oma flush against her will. “Fine, bring her in so we can get this all over with. Maybe she’ll actually get an unexpected prediction right and I will die of shock!”

“Grandma!”

“Let this old hag have her last wish, Ahiru!” the young lady tutted but went forth to fetch the fortune teller nonetheless. Ahiru would then go off to the temple to not only pray for her grandmother’s health, but for her grandmother’s happiness. Deep down, Ahiru just knew that this fortune teller would change _everything_. 

* * *

 

**_“Be careful who you open up to. Only a few people actually care, the rest are just curious.”_ **

Oma nearly died laughing when she saw a well-dressed, beautiful young woman in yellow, with dark and shiny long black hair. Well, she almost did but she had promised Ahiru not to be rude. Too much. This was gonna be good. She couldn’t wait to tell this young whipper snapper what was what.

“It is a great honour to meet you, Lady Oma.” The woman had got on her knees and bowed to Oma. “Your granddaughter may have told you this, but please allow me to introduce myself again. My name is Madame Wu and I am from a long family line of fortune tellers.”

‘Con artists. The word is con artists.’ Oma wanted to tell her, but she could see Ahiru glaring at her from behind the curtain. She bit her tongue.

“Get off the floor, you’ll ruin that pretty dress.” Oma said. “I’m not the queen of Omashu, though my son certainly acts like he is royalty. Rise! You’re pregnant for goodness sake, don’t bow down to a sickly old lady like me.”

Madame Wu looked surprised at first, but smiled and rose to her feet with a little help from Ahiru. Oma yelled at one of the servants to get her a chair and asked “Why has no one gotten her a cup of tea? She’s drinking for two!” Ahiru nearly died of embarrassment at her grandmother’s bossiness but Madame Wu had a hard time containing her giggles at the flushed look of pleasure on Oma’s face. Watching the usually inattentive servants scramble about to serve her guest’s every need was one of the few pleasures Oma had left in life and she was not going to feel a bit guilty about it.

When Oma gave Madame Wu her congratulations and told one of the younger servants ‘thank you’ for being prompt with their service and excellent tea making skills, Oma and Madame Wu got down to business. Ahiru quietly snuck out of the room to give them some privacy.

“So what are you going to do? Look into a crystal ball? Make me levitate? Flail about and talk to the spirits like my Uncle on opium?” Oma chuckled at her own wit, but Madame Wu simply gave a friendly smirk and put down her cup of tea. She lifted a dainty, manicured hand and offered it to Oma.

“If you please Lady Oma, I would like to read your palm.”

Oma paused and inspected the young woman sitting before her. Madame Wu seemed like a confident and open young woman from the way she held out her hand to Oma and smiled brightly as if she had good reason to be confident in her abilities.

‘She’s a good actress.’ Oma concluded, before slowly giving her hand to Madame Wu. Normally she loathed the feeling of being poked, prodded and inspected by healers that weren’t Ahiru, but Madame Wu’s touch was soft and gentle and her gaze was calm yet inquisitive. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity and kindness, as if she could see the tapestry of Oma’s life in her palm and was marvelled by the stories that its lines told. Oma quietly watched in fascination and went a whole five minutes without speaking, her best record for silence yet.

Madame Wu finally returned Oma’s waiting gaze and spoke softly.  

“You have broad, square palms and fingers with coarse skin. You have solid values, you are practical and responsible and you are comfortable when working with your hands. As of expected of the first earth bender.”

Pfft. Anyone who had heard of Oma’s reputation would know that! And honestly, who in Omashu didn’t know about her reputation? Not to be arrogant, but she assumed many would talk about her long after she was gone.  

“Your fate line joins the life line around in the middle. You’ve often had to sacrifice your own interests for the needs of others.”

Well of course that was true! She was the country’s leader! What leader hadn’t made sacrifices for her people?

“Your life line is straight and close to the edge of the palm. You’re cautious when it comes to relationships.” Madame Wu said in a tone that suggested she sympathised or knew why Oma was that way. Oma made a show of snickering and rolling her eyes, but on the inside she grew paranoid. She carefully constructed her public image as the boisterous, rebellious woman who made new friends as quickly as badgermoles created holes. Oma still didn’t believe in fortune telling, but she believed that Madame Wu had a keen enough eye to see through her stage personality.

“Your head line is curved and sloped. You have a creative approach to solving problems.” Oma’s chuckling and eye rolling were genuine this time. When she first built the city of Omashu, people thought she was crazy but spirits damn it, her idea worked and it had worked well. In spite of everything, Omashu was her pride and joy and she prayed to the spirits every day that when she was gone that some kind and creative soul would watch over her city in a way her son wasn’t prepared to. “As expected from the creator of our fine city.”

“You know you don’t have to lick my boots.” Oma said. “Enough people do that for me already.”

Oma hated to admit it, but being reminded of her achievements did make her feel better. Even if this woman was full of ostrich horse manure, it was nice to feel appreciated. People liked to retell legends, but they rarely expressed such gratitude to the legends themselves. 

Oma would later hate Madame Wu for getting her guard down.

“Your heart line is broken up.” Madame Wu said softly, before looking deep into Oma’s eyes. “You’ve experience great anguish and heartache at the loss of your lover.”  

Oma made a ‘hmph’ sound and took her hand from Madame Wu.

“If you actually read the papers, you would know that I had not attended my late husband’s funeral. When I signed those divorce papers it was the best money I had ever spent and I didn’t change my mind when my son told me the news.” Oma crossed her arms. “Good riddance to that old battle axe.”

“I was not talking about Zhou, may he rest in peace.” Madame Wu did not lose her ladylike composure. “I was talking about Shu.”

Oma turned white as a ghost and clenched the bed sheets until her knuckles could make holes through them. She could feel her own heart hammer in her ribcage and resisted the urge to throw her tea at Madame Wu.

“How do you know his name?” she delivered her question like a death threat she was desperately tempted to keep if Madame Wu said the wrong words. “No one knows his name. The only ones who know about him are my father, may he rest in peace, Zhou and Ahiru. I know Ahiru would never tell a soul. Did you sneak into my room and ready my diary? My memoirs? I can have you hanged for trespassing you know.”

Oma didn’t intend for anyone to know about Shu until she was long gone, when she no longer cared if anyone knew the founder of Omashu had the soul of a woman instead of a king, the one she kept bragging on about while she kept the fear and anguish at bay.  

“I told you, Lady Oma. I am a fortune teller.” Madame Wu said, her brown eyes never leaving Oma. “I know the past, I know the present and I know the future. Your future as well.”  

Oma’s breathing became shallow and laboured. She clung to the sheets and covered herself, like a scared child.

“Get out.” She commanded, sounding angrier and more scared than she intended.

“My lady, please-”

“Get out before I send for the guards, I’m not throwing a pregnant woman in jail.” Oma narrowed her eyes at her, like a hunter who was after a rebellious and difficult sort of prey. “If you tell anyone my secret, I will make sure you stay there while your child wonders where its mother is.”

Madame Wu looked as calm as an undisturbed koi pond and looked at Oma with what could be seen as pity or sympathy, but the old woman refused to back down. She sighed and tossed back her long, dark hair over her shoulder.

“I apologise for upsetting you. I will do as you ask and leave.” Madame Wu said. “But before I go, I would like to tell you about the future.”

Oma sat there in bed and glared at Madame Wu, her hand clutching her heart. She looked pained to even have Madame Wu standing there in front of her, but she didn’t say anything or make any gestures to say that she would call for the guards. Madame Wu took this as a sign to continue.

“From what I could see your left hand’s fate and head line are the same as your right hand. You will be a creative, brilliant woman who will sometimes have to sacrifice her own needs for others. There’s no need to fret though, as next time your creativity and sacrifice will definitely bring a lasting and steady peace to not just your nation, but to the entire world. People will talk about your new life, just as they will about this life, with great fondness and respect.”

Oma was resisting the urge to throw her tea at Madame Wu.

“Your life line on your left hand represents strength and enthusiasm. Your left love line is long and curvy, suggesting your new self won’t be afraid to say what matters when the time comes.” Oma started crying. “You will see Shu again, but you won’t recognise him and you will be bitter enemies rather than lovers.”

Madame Wu paused when she heard Oma sob. She felt cruel for telling Oma this, but she continued.  

“However, you will be friends again. The journey to this stage in your relationship will be long and difficult, but the end destination will have made all the heart ache worth it. You will not be his wife, but you will be together right until your last-”      

Madame Wu gasped when she heard the sound of a teacup being smashed to bits against the wall echo through the room with a thunderous clang. Oma didn’t even smirk when she finally managed to wreck her the fortune teller’s calm composure or delight in the idea of getting her meanest servant to clean up the mess she had made. Her eyes were trained on Madame Wu, like a predator focusing on its prey.

“Get. Out. Now.” Madame Wu briefly bowed her head out of respect and regret and wasted no time shuffling towards the door. She didn’t dare wish the lady goodbye as she gently closed the door, extinguishing all the light in Lady Oma’s abode.    

Oma did something she had never done before, not even when Shu died.

She threw herself onto the bed and wept, ignoring the sounds of her hollow coughing.

* * *

 

**_“A dream is a wish your heart makes.”_ **

After being soothed to sleep by a heartbroken and sad Ahiru, Oma finally managed to sleep. And she dreamed. Although this dream was not like the others.

It was like the ones that told her she would meet Shu in a dark tunnel and that she would create Omashu. She didn’t know what they had meant at the time, but later on she had realised what the universe had been trying to tell her.

Oma didn’t believe in fortune tellers because in her experience, they often told you what you wanted to hear. Spirits on the other hand, showed you what would happen, even if you didn’t want to see it. 

In this dream, she saw a scary new world.

She saw a cold, vast land covered in a thick white powder that would often be covered in soot and ash against its will. She saw a small, angry boy with blue vacant eyes and if crossed he could destroy everything in a flash. She also saw people crying for their mothers, their fathers and anyone who was being born into the next world and it both made her feel frightened and less alone.

These sights made Oma fearful for this world’s future, but these other visions gave her the hope Madame Wu wanted to give her.

She could see water shine in the darkness of the cold, night sky in the earth kingdom, she could see a red, blistering scar that reminded her of the one Shu used to have on his right shoulder and she could see lightening, one that reminded her of the storms that she and Shu used to watch together. She had prayed to be caught in one of those thunder storms so she wouldn’t have to leave Shu and return to her village, her heart sang whenever she heard the sky’s thunderous cries. It was as if the sky itself was applauding their relationship in a fraught and perilous world.  

In the eye of that storm she saw a boy, in her arms, with a scar that looked like Shu’s.

‘Shu, shu, shu, shu, shu!’ her heart sang.

Oma woke up with tears in her eyes.

“So she was telling the truth.” she said with a blissful smile and sighed, falling back into a peaceful sleep.

Her last sleep as Oma.

* * *

 

**_“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.”_ **

“She looks so happy.” Shiro sadly said as he gently caressed Oma’s hair. “What on Earth did the fortune teller say to her?”

“Grandma would not say. She was crying her eyes out after the session with her.” Ahiru said, her eyes yet again blotchy from tears. “I can only guess that it was the best news of her life, since it looks like she finally found peace in her last moments.”

Shiro gently took his beloved’s hand and kissed it.

“I will make the preparations to give Oma the best send off possible.”

“There’s no need my love.” Ahiru smiled through the tears. “The arrangements for her final resting place have already been made.”

As much as Ahiru knew how her grandma liked to keep her private life private, she was glad the people would get to see another side of her. 


	2. Mother of the Air Nomads and Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Bad nightmare?” Jinora asked, giving her grandma an affectionate squeeze around her waist.
> 
> “No.” Katara reassured her with utmost certainty as she rubbed reassuring circles on Jinora’s back. “It’s nothing, sweetie. I think I just… remembered something very important.”
> 
> Katara wakes from her 'dream' and wants to ignore its implications, but Tenzin doesn't make it easy.

Katara’s icy blue eyes snapped open in the middle of the night. An erratic heartbeat and flushed skin swept over her like the ocean as she gripped the dark blue sheets. She threw them off her body and let the fabric pool onto the floor, before trying to cool herself down by practising the breathing techniques she had learned from Aang. The sound of air going through her nose pulsed through her head.

_“So she was telling the truth.”_

Katara’s knuckles turned white as she gripped the mattress.

“Grandma?” Katara was still panting when she heard the patter of not so tiny feet make its way into her bedroom. She took another gulp of air when she saw who it was. “Are you okay? I went get some water, but I heard you-”

“Don’t be frightened my love. Come here.” Katara’s heartbeat went back down to a normal pace when Jinora scrambled onto her bed and leaped into her grandma’s arms. She laughed along with her fourteen-year-old grandchild, counting her blessings that she still didn’t mind being held by her grandmother or thought grandma’s hugs were ‘uncool.’ “I’m not going anywhere any time soon.”

“I wasn’t-”

“It’s all right.” Katara hushed her. She could feel Jinora’s sigh of relief on her neck and that made her frown. Katara thought that her grandchild shouldn’t have been afraid of death yet, not after everything she had done to make sure no child would be as frightened as she had been, but she guessed people’s fear of death never quite goes away. Not even during peace time.   

“Bad nightmare?” Jinora asked, giving her grandma an affectionate squeeze around her waist.

“No.” Katara reassured her with utmost certainty as she rubbed reassuring circles on Jinora’s back. “It’s nothing, sweetie. I think I just… remembered something very important.”

* * *

 

 Katara took a minute each morning to just sit, close her eyes and absorb the sounds in her surroundings her as she stirred her tea. She smiled softly as she heard Meelo trying to help his mother feed his baby brother by making funny faces, Rohan’s delightful giggling, Jinora fussing over Tikki’s hair as the younger sister complained that the older one was being too rough and the sound of Kya and Bumi making jokes about their brother in his absence. Tenzin was yet again called for another important meeting, even though he was no longer a council member of Republic City.

It was the peaceful family life Katara had dreamed of since she was a child.

‘I must be getting old. To think I nearly had a heart attack over a _dream_.’ Katara blew on her tea and finally took a sip. ‘That’s what I get for reading romance novels before bed.’

Katara had seen many supernatural and spiritual phenomena in her life time and was a fervent believer, but she drew the line at ‘remembering’ past lives. _No one_ ever remembered their past lives, unless you were the Avatar and Katara certainly wasn’t Aang or Korra.  

‘That ‘memory’ must have been fake.’ Katara reasoned with herself. ‘Perhaps Tenzin was right about those novels being bad for the brain and I just thought about Zuko because I read his letter last night. Yes. That must be it.’

Katara was well aware of the fact that she hadn’t been in a relationship since her husband died and Zuko was one of the many distinguished older men and women she kept company with nowadays. Zuko wasn’t as pompous as some of the members of the White Lotus Katara had to keep company with during Korra’s training and they had been friends for a very long time, so it was only reasonable that he’d be the romantic hero in her silly little fantasy. He was the only old man she could stand.

It didn’t mean anything.

Katara was dragged away from her thoughts by a tiny arm pulling at her sleeve.

“Jinora said you remembered something important last night!” Tikki grinned as if she was announcing that she knew a very big secret. “What did you remember?”

Katara could feel her face turn a very dark, pink colour.

“Katara? Are you all right?” Pema dropped her spoon, much to Rohan’s chagrin.

“Is it the menopause?” Bumi cried loudly enough for all of Republic City to hear.

“Bumi, mum’s too old for menopause.” Kya was just as loud as her brother and rolled her eyes at him for good measure. She glared at the index finger touching her lips.  

“Shh, it’s not polite to discuss a lady’s age!” Bumi hushed her. It was Katara’s turn to roll her eyes while Pema had fetched Katara a cold compress. Katara politely waved Pema away and muttered ‘I’m fine, don’t make a fuss my dear,’ while Kya and Bumi argued over the probability of their mother getting a second wave of menopause. It made Katara chuckle and briefly forget her silly behaviour.

Before her youngest son entered the room.

Katara had fuzzy memories of her grandchildren clambering to greet their father, while his wife and siblings bombarded him with questions.

Only the next part would stand out in Katara’s memory:

“I’m afraid Lord Zuko is very ill.” Tenzin said as he affectionately patted Meelo’s head, hardly noticing how his mother froze in response to the terrible news.

“Izu-I mean Fire Lord Izumi told me that her father has been in bed for days and it doesn’t look like he’ll be leaving it any time soon.” Or the way her skinned paled at that excruciatingly painful bit of extra information.

“Her highness has the best healers possible looking after him”

 _‘No she doesn’t.’_ Or the way Katara’s knuckles turned white yet again from the amount of pressure she was using to grip the kitchen table. ‘I’m the best healer.’

“But she’s really worried about him-”

‘Shu, Shu, Shu, Shu-’ Katara’s heartbeat started going miles a minute again.

“I think we might have to pay Lord Zuko a visit soon.”

‘SHU, SHU, SHU, SHU, SHU, SHU, SHU-’ Her heart felt as if it was going to rip its way out of her chest and flee.

“Who knows how long he has left." 

_‘SHU SHU SHU SHU SHU SHU SHU SHU SHU SHU SHU-’_

Katara’s family jumped at the sound of her leaping from her seat and running towards the back door, leaving her broken teacup and spilled tea behind. The entire family stood there in shock, until one of them returned to their senses.  

“Tenzin!” She yelled her brother. “What were you thinking?!”

“Zuko is one of mum’s oldest friends and she doesn’t have many left!”

“Bumi!”

“What? It’s true Kya!” Bumi scowled at his siblings. “Which is why you don’t break news like that out of the blue!”

“Oh I didn’t even think about how mother would feel…” Tenzin dropped into the chair and slapped his forehead, hardly noticing his kids running towards the window and whispering among themselves. “I should have broken the news to her gently.”

“You didn’t know honey.” Pema gently clasped her hand on his shoulder. “It’s been a good while since they’ve even spoken to one another, what with everything that has been going on in the world lately. Remember that time Katara didn’t make it to Jinora’s ceremony because she was saving that village?”

“Remember the time Tenzin nearly had a heart attack when mum told him she knocked out an alligator with her own two fists to save that village?” all the grownups, even Tenzin, laughed at that memory while the children ignored the merriment in order to watch something _much_ more interesting. “He seriously thought about putting her in a home.”

“I wasn’t being serious!” Tenzin cried, while his children were pointing and gasping at what was going on outside the temple. “I have the utmost respect for our mother, who is an independent and strong woman.”

“You weren’t saying that when she turned up covered in alligator guts. When she came to celebration hall you lectured her long and hard about the dangers of being foolhardy.” Kya smirked.

“Everyone should be reminded of the importance of health and safety now and then. I was just doing my duty as her son, especially since we had nearly lost one family member.” Tenzin huffed as he thought about Korra, while his daughter Tikki cried “Is that Oogi?” in the background.  

“Keep that up and Katara might decide to stay in the Fire Nation with Zuko.” Pema winked saucily. The action made Tenzin turn a scarlet colour and fume steam out of his ears as if he were a firebender. “I hear he’s got a spare room just for her.”  

“Are you still on about that? My mother and Lord Zuko are friends. _Friends_. Platonic soulmates _at most_.” Tenzin stroked his beard. “One night of tipsy flirtation will not change that. Why would my mother want to date anyone else when she was happily married to my father for so many years?”

Kya kept her mouth shut about the happy marriage part. It wasn’t worth getting into a fight with her brother, especially since they had managed to mend their relationship.  

“I don’t know, let’s ask Pema when you bite the dust.” Bumi howled with laughter at that one and Pema had to hide her giggles behind her sleeve.

“Very funny, my dear sister.”

“Dad, where is Grandma going?” Rohan asked as he was peeking out the window and desperately clinging to his brother Meelo’s head. Tenzin walked to Rohan and placed him on his shoulders the same way he had done so with Meelo when he was still a toddler. Sigh, how time flew!

“I’m sure Grandma is just going for a walk in the gardens to clear her head.” Tenzin said. “She’ll come back in when she’s ready.”

“Is that going to be for an hour or a couple of weeks?” Tikki asked. “Because it looks like Grandma is taking a lot of stuff just for a trip to the gardens. Is she having a picnic?”

Tenzin’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head when he saw Katara fasten the backpack onto Oogi’s saddle and took her place in the driver’s seat. He quickly but gently shoved Rohan into Pema’s arms, before he followed Bumi and Kya out into the front yard where the other air nomads were watching in horror as Katara gripped Oogi’s reigns.

“My Lady Katara, please let us help you-”

“Oh stuff it and stop treating me like a delicate, little old lady!” Katara barked at a random Air Nomad whose name she struggled to remember because of old age. “I’ve been dealing with worse than heavy loads since before you were but a twinkle in your father’s eye!”

“Mother, what is going on?” Tenzin cried out to her as everyone else watched the random Air Nomad cower in fear behind Pema and plead with his wife to protect her from ‘the grandmother of the Air Nomads.’ “If it’s about Lord Zuko, there’s no need to rush! If you give me until tonight, I will gladly accompany you to the Fire Nation Palace-”

“No.” Katara said, her knuckles turning white for the third time as she gripped the reigns and looked out onto the sunny horizon with fierce determination. The Air Nomads may not have remembered, but Katara’s children knew that that was the face she made when she was about to tear down an opponent. “I cannot waste any more time.”

“Mother, please listen to him.” Kya felt bile in her throat. Taking Tenzin’s sensible advice seriously made her recoil for some reason. “The palace won’t let you in without an appointment, so you might as well let stuck up and bureaucratic Tenzin get the stuffed shirts at the palace to roll out the red carpet for you when you get there!”

Tenzin side-eyed his sister.  

“No.” Katara said in a firm voice neither of her children had heard since they all started living their own lives. “This is something I must do _now_ and _no one_ is getting in my way.”   

Katara’s eyes softened at the hurt expressions on her kids’ faces. She lowered her hold on the reigns. She was impatient, anxious and a little terrified at what was to come on her trip to the Fire Nation, but she was also a mother and no one would ever change that. No matter how special they were to her and no matter how long she had been waiting for them.   

“This is something I just have to do now and you three, as my children, have to support me.” But she needed her kids to realise that she was also a woman.   

Tenzin gasped, his cheeks turning dark red again.

“We’re behind you one hundred percent mum!” Bumi cried with a huge smile on his face. “Ride the winds!”

“Have a safe trip! Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” Kya winked.

“Go and get him, grandma!” Jinora cried, ignoring Tikki’s cries of ‘get who?!’ while giving Katara a thumbs up. Katara gave her oldest grandchild a special smile to communicate her gratitude. 

“I…” She also spared another moment for her youngest child. Tenzin hesitated before saying this: “Please give Lord Zuko my regards.”

“If he’s still there.” Katara said in a croaky, thick voice that sounded like she was holding something back. She snapped the reigns and cried “Yip, yip!” She was off like a bolt of lightning into the sky while her loved ones became a blur she would have to put to the back of her mind until she finished her mission.

She sat forward, snapped Oogi’s reigns a second time and ignored the way her ponytail thrashed about in the cold, harsh winds of the sky. She ignored the way the bones in her hand ached as she held tightly onto the reigns and blinked away her drowsiness as she kept on riding. With her children safe and sound back at the temple, no force on Earth could stop her from going to see Zuko.

“I won’t forget about you for a second time.” Katara promised herself as she rode towards the sun.     


	3. Fierce Warrior and Fever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katara fights to be by the side of the one she loves.

Katara landed right outside the Fire Nation palace and tied Oogi to the nearest tree trunk. She patted the flying bison, kissed him on the forehead and left the animal some moon peaches as a reward for his hard labour before she ran right up to the castle guards and announced her presence, ignoring the slight pain in her knees. Guard Number One cringed at her request and Guard Number Two cleared his voice before telling her the bad news.

“I am very sorry Lady Katara, but while you are an honoured and esteemed guest at the Fire Nation Palace, Fire Lord Izumi has ordered that no one see or speak to Lord Zuko so that he may get some proper rest and relaxation.” Guard Number Two started sweating as Katara’s expression went from a firm, but happy face to a disappointed one. Guard Number One muttered an ‘oh boy’ before wiping his brow. “We are sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused and we hope you will accept our sincerest apologies.”

“Fire Lord Izumi has been a friend of mine since she was in diapers. In fact, I once changed her diapers.” Katara said in her calmest voice possible but it didn’t stop the guards trembling in terror as her cold, blue eyes stared them down. “If you let me through, I am sure Fire Lord Izumi will give you a pardon. I’ll even speak on your behalf if she makes a fuss.”

“I am very sorry Lady Katara, but Fire Lord Izumi’s orders cannot be broken by the royal guard under any circumstances, in order to protect the royal family.” Guard Number One coughed at the slight tremble in Guard Number Two’s voice.

“Not even if an old woman wants to see her dying friend for the last time?” Katara didn’t bother to hide the anger and hurt in voice this time. “Not even if that royal family wouldn’t be here without my intervention?”

Images of lightning struck her vision.

“N-No.” Guard Number Two said. “If you wait here, I am sure we can request an audience and Fire Lord Izumi will let you in then, but for now you will have to be patient.”

Guard Number One started muttering a prayer for his colleague and friend. Katara of the Southern Tribe was famous for many things, but it was not her patience.

Katara sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. She turned to her side, looking at the little fountain Zuko had installed just for her. Guard Number Two sighed with relief, as he thought the flow of the water would calm the troubled old woman’s mind and get her to heed his advice. Waterbender’s loved their natural element after all.

Little did he know that the laboured breathing and slight sweat of Katara’s brow meant that she was having violent flashbacks of Shu dying right before her eyes, memories of her crying and screaming while she was powerless to do anything to save the man she had loved. Oma had no healing abilities, just the earthbending she had used to force her people into a new era of peace after she couldn’t take the struggle and violence anymore.

 _‘Shu, don’t go!’_ Katara gasped at the feeling. 

“My lady, are you all right? You’re sweating!” Guard Number One reached for his handkerchief and handed it to Katara. “Here, use this to cool your brow.”

Guard Number Two thought she was lifting her arm to take the handkerchief, before she pulled a jet of water from the fountain to freeze his friend to the wall!

“Sorry about this.” Katara told him before she sent another tidal wave to come crashing down onto Guard Number Two. He struggled against the thick, frozen sheet of ice while the old woman ran past him and into the palace gates.

“INTRUDER! INTRUDER!” he shouted. “LADY KATARA HAS-”

“Shh, Lu Bu do you want everyone to know we got our asses kicked by an old lady?”

“That’s not just any old lady, that’s Lady Katara of the Southern Water Tribe and she’s about to put our buddies in a world of hurt! I’m hollering until my voice breaks!” Lu Bu told Guard Number One as he hung his head in shame. “INTRUDER! INTRUDER!”

* * *

 

Katara appreciated that the boys tried to reason with her, but she was old and running out of time she had already wasted.

She ran into a couple of guards that she easily smacked away with her water whip. She was thankful that she had brought her gourd with her, as the flower vases she had given Zuko as a birthday present took pride of place in the throne room, which was still a couple of paces from the main hall.

Zuko made a cheesy pun about flowers she’d never forget.  

_“State your name and purpose.” Oma said in a loud and intimidating voice as she brandished the tip of her sword in Shu’s face. “Do not bother trying to lie to me or trick me.”_

_“Don’t worry, at the moment my hands are tied.”_

_Oma stood there in shock while Shu had the most pleased grin on his face. It was moments before Oma spoke “That was terrible.”_

_“I know!” Shu chuckled._

_“Not at all funny.” Oma couldn’t but laugh though. “Men from your village not only smell bad but have a terrible sense of humour too.”_

_“And yet you still tied me to this tree.” Shu winked. “Guess you didn’t want a handsome young man like me to leaf.”_

_“I will literally stab you.”_

Katara snickered when she remembered how Oma and Shu first met. She had first spotted him walking around the mountains and decided that she would take him as her prisoner. Perhaps Zuko tied her to a tree to get back at her, Katara thought with a chuckle.

An annoying guard tried to attack her from above as she jumped several flights of stairs to deliver an airborne attack. Katara took the water from her gourd, made a huge hand and threw the young warrior woman out the window where she would land safely into a bush full of flowers. She hoped the girl didn’t have allergies.

Another memory came back to her as she ignored the pain in her knees and ran up the flights of stairs.

_“You wouldn’t understand! You have no idea what kind of pressure my father and brother put on me! Ever since mum died, I’ve had to take on so many responsibilities.” Oma shouted into the darkness of the night, where she and Shu only had a small campfire to illuminate their way in the darkness. Oma sighed and hugged her knees. “I don’t have time to be a kid.”_

_Shu’s smile softened._

_“That’s something we have in common.”_

_Oma’s eyes locked with his as he went on to explain._

_“My dad wants me to marry the chief’s daughter to strengthen our family’ ties and boost the village’s morale. He’s been asking me why I keep going into the mountains and I can’t tell him it’s because I can’t stand my bride to be. I can’t ask my mum to intervene because she left the scene a long time ago.”_

_Oma snorted._

_“That makes two of us.”_

_“What?”_

_“You should see the guy my dad wants to set me up with.” Oma smirked. “He’s got worse body odour than you. I’m hoping that his smell is so bad that mum will just rise from the dead to tell my dad no.”_

Katara grit her teeth as she did the deadly dance with more guards, who tried to gently restrain her from proceeding up the stairs. She was tempted to fling them all down steps as with every memory passing through her head. She had been more than patient so why did other people still have to keep coming between her and Zuko? Why were they being punished for other people’s lack of ability to understand?

Katara felt a tear shed on her cheek.

_“It’s not that I don’t like you.” Oma hugged herself. “It’s just I have duties obligations and responsibilities…”_

_“Responsibilities?” Shu asked._

_“My brother can’t run the village on his own. He needs me.” Oma said softly as she remembered his sibling’s smiling face in the back of her head._

_“But what do you need?” Shu asked, slowly getting closer and closer to Oma. He had never gotten so close to her, so near that he was able to let her feel his warm breath on her cheek. She despised spatial intimacy and hated vulnerability, but in the weeks and months he had gotten to know her he had broken down all her barriers, one wall at a time._

_She hated him and loved him for it._

_“What?” she whispered._

_“What do you want Oma?” Shu held her chin in his hand, uttering the next words in a soft whisper. “What is it you need?”_

_The way her pupils dilated gave him the answer and he was not one bit surprised when she bridged the gap with a kiss._

Katara openly cried and didn’t care that her carefully braided hair was now whipping around  in the wind freely as she dodged, punched and water whipped her way to Zuko.

 _“You’re_ marrying _her?” Oma felt white hot jealousy throb through her veins._

_“Don’t worry, the ceremony will be the day after we leave.” He smiled and linked their fingers together. The action quieted the rage in Oma’s heart. “Hua’s not as bad as I thought she was, but you come first.”_

_“Promise?” Oma hated herself for asking but she needed to know._

_“You’re the only one I want.” Shu said as he initiated the kiss this time._

A horrible thought entered her mind along with the sweet and pleasant memories –

_‘What if he doesn’t remember me?’_

Katara had been married with three kids for years and her past life never came to rear its ugly, beautiful head until now. Perhaps battling with Zuko’s Royal Guard was a pointless and silly mission as she had no idea whether Zuko felt the same about her. Shu may have loved her, but Zuko was a different person now. Maybe if he had been given a choice between Katara and his late wife, he would have still chosen the other woman, even with the knowledge of their past life fresh in his mind.

“Ma’am! I am going to have to ask you to halt!” A big, burly woman whose muscles could give Avatar Korra a run for her money appeared to block Katara’s path. She brushed aside her long cape and took up a defensive stance. “No one gets to Lord Zuko without going through me.”

That was when Katara received more memories, but this time they were not from her past life.

 _“Do you want me to stay and help you train Korra? Izumi will be the Fire Lord soon so I won’t have the same responsibilities or restrictions anymore.”_ Katara had politely declined Zuko’s offer, knowing that deep down in his heart he would want to be close to Izumi. He was a wonderful father, so it surprised her when he left a happy and independent Izumi to travel the world. She sometimes still felt guilty about leaving her kids.

 _“Come stay with me and my family for a week, Katara. As you know, the Fire Nation is beautiful at this time of year and I hate the thought of you being alone at this time.”_ Katara told Zuko that she was happy he offered, but Katara knew Bumi needed her even if the man wouldn’t admit he would dearly miss his precious uncle.  

 _“When I see Aang again I’m going to kick his ass for leaving you.”_ Katara remembered that when Zuko told that joke while holding her hand at the funeral, she replied that she would prefer is she didn’t beat up baby Korra. It was the first time Katara had laughed in days and she went hand in hand with Zuko to take him to see the new-born. 

 _“I’m really sorry Aang can’t be here, but I know he would be if could. For now, I’m here and I’m not leaving you.”_ Aang had been prevented from attending Bumi’s birth due to a rockslide, but Zuko held her hand again while she screamed and pushed Bumi into this world. She had hurled a lot of abuse in Zuko’s direction, but he never left her side once through the birthing process.

 _“You look so beautiful.”_ Zuko said as he lifted Katara’s veil to get a good look at the bride. Her wedding day had been a long time ago, but Katara could still remember the way she laughed at Zuko’s compliment, having heard it from many people that day. However, she missed the subtle glint in his eye that told her he wasn’t just making pleasantries. _“Aang is a lucky man.”_

‘He loves me.’ Katara’s heart soared at the realisation. ‘Perhaps ever since that day…’

Katara remembered the lightening from the dream that occurred during her last night as Oma.

Perhaps it had been a prophecy.

She laughed and wiped her tears away before matching the muscly, female guard’s stance.

“Bring it on. I would climb mountains and build cities for that man.”

She already had, but the guard didn’t know that.


	4. Lovers and Lilacs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katara meets someone who finally understands.

_“Lilac - A purple lilac symbolizes emotions of early love. Lilacs are purple flowers that are associated with the Language of Flowers. This flower is a symbol of the emotions of early love. The colour lilac used to be associated with mourning.” Definition courtesy of Symbolism Wikipedia._

“Bring it on. I would climb mountains and build cities for that man.” Katara took up a defensive waterbending stance as her bright blue eyes shone with determination. The muscly female guard with long brown hair blinked as Katara’s own long locks fluttered in the wind, as she swiped off the helmet of a complete set of Fire Nation armour that had been standing idly by before it became Katara’s hundredth victim and first casualty of the day.  “I’ve faced enemies a hundred more times terrifying than you.”

The muscly female guard gulped. She didn’t doubt Katara for a second as her reputation preceded her, especially in the Fire Nation. The guard remembered all the times her grandmother told her about Lady Katara, the woman who defeated Princess Azula in close combat and saved Fire Lord Zuko after he had been struck by lightning. The tale was such a beloved story in the young guard’s household that she could happily recite it all from memory if anyone requested.

And that wasn't the only Katara centric story that the female guard had grown up listening to. If you ever visited the quiet river-village of Jang Hui and ran into Xu the shopkeeper, he’d happily retell the story of The Painted Lady.  

Muscly guard took a deep breath and started to think.

“I do not wish to fight you, my lady.” The young woman dropped her defensive stance in order to give Katara a polite bow. “In fact, you are so well known and respected in my village that if I dared to lift a finger towards you without good reason, I would never be allowed to return home.”

“And which village would that be?” Katara asked, not moving an inch from her protective stance as she glared at the female guard.

“I am Captain Jia-Li of Jang Hui. I believe my people owe you a great deal.” Jia-Li bowed again.

“You’re from the river town? My goodness!” Katara immediately dropped her stance to slap her forehead and laugh. “I haven’t been there in years! How’s Dock? Or Xu? Or Bushi? Or whatever he calls himself now? Is he still around?”

“Alive and kicking and willing to talk about you to whoever will listen.” Jia-Li smiled.

“I used to tell Zuko about him and Jang Hui all the time, I even promised that I would take him there for a trip…” Katara frowned when she remembered why she was there and Jia-Li did not like the way the older woman’s face paled when she brought him up. Katara said the next few words in a shaky voice. “You never think about all the things you’ll never get to do before it’s too late.”

Jia-Li walked over to Katara, wrap her beefy arm around her shoulder and led her towards the end of the hall.

“It’s not too late, my lady. Lord Zuko is right over there and he’s _okay_.” Jia-Li said. “I don’t know who or what made you believe otherwise, but I am very sorry we kept you away from your friend while you thought he was gravely ill. Fire Lord Izumi staunchly believes the rules she has put in place and thus my comrades feel it would be disrespectful to disobey her, but they still should have used common sense. As Captain of the Royal Guard I hope you will accept my apology on their behalf.”

“That’s hardly fair considering I gave them the fight of their life.” Katara laughed nervously. “I haven’t used my full strength like that in years. I hope I didn’t hurt them.”

“It will be a good lesson for them and prepare them for the next time a master waterbender attacks us.” Jia Li grinned and stopped in front of a large door with gold handles. “I will announce you to Lord Zuko. Is there anything you would like me to tell him?”

These horrible words flashed through Katara’s mind.

_“You will see Shu again, but you won’t recognise him and you will be bitter enemies rather than lovers.” Madame Wu continued despite the sob she had ripped from Oma’s throat.  “However, you will be friends again.”_

Katara’s heart ached.

“No, it’s fine.” She blushed. “Just let me see him as soon as possible.”

Jia-Li nodded before Katara grabbed her arm.

“Is he really okay? My son said Zuko was on his deathbed.”

Jia-Li gave a toothy grin before patting Katara on the shoulder.

“I’m afraid your son gave you a fright for nothing. The worst of Lord Zuko’s fever has passed, so he is having a nice afternoon of light reading.” Katara didn’t seem like she would be satisfied until she saw him for herself, but at least a bit of colour returned to her cheeks. “Tell me my lady, are you familiar with the Tale of Omashu?”

“I’ve… heard of it.” Katara said, not quite meeting Jia-Li’s grey eyes. They started to glint with anticipation for what she was about to tell Katara.

“It’s one of Lord Zuko’s favourite tales. His highness would often recite it for the guards during the late evenings and it often reminded me of the time you rescued him from Princess Azula. I’m quite glad that your story had a much happier ending.”

Jia-Li smirked when Katara’s cheeks went from a healthy, normal glow to a deep scarlet colour.

“Yes well, I’m glad I was taught by one of the finest healers in the Northern Water Tribe as my skills have come quite in handy whenever a friend of mine has needed medical attention. I don’t need you to announce me to Lord Zuko, I’m sure he’ll recognise me and I don’t like making a fuss. Don’t you have guard duties to be attending to? I’m sure one of them needs some advice on how to sharpen their swords…”

Jia-Li bit her cheek so she wouldn’t burst out laughing.

“As you wish, my lady. Please give his highness my regards.”

“Hmph.” Katara huffed as she watched the large woman go before heading on inside.

On her way down the hall, Jia-Li saw a familiar face pop out one of the doors. When the small woman spotted Jia-Li from her ‘secret’ hiding spot, she hiked up her impossibly long dress and ran down the hall in spite of the protests of the other woman behind the door.  

“Oh my goodness Jiji, are you okay? I heard you yelling and suddenly there was no noise! I almost had a heart attack!” The woman took Jia-Li’s large hands into her own and squeezed them, while Jia-Li just stood there looking at her pretty face. “I don’t know what I would do if anything happened to you!”

“Same here, my little orchid.” Jia-Li kissed the smaller woman’s cheek. The other women behind the door started giggling. “But rest assured Lan, Lady Katara and I had a nice long chat and it’s all been taken care of now.”

“Lady Katara caused all that ruckus? I thought she and Lord Zuko were friends!”

“That’s precisely why she rampaged through the palace. She thought Lord Zuko was _dying_.” Jia-Li snickered when Lan gasped and took her proffered arm. Jia-Li always found the size difference between her and her tiny girlfriend to be quite adorable. The other palace musicians seemed to agree since they started following the young couple in order to ogle them. “Lu Bu probably neglected to tell her that Doctor Huan mistook Lord Zuko’s fever for a much more serious disease.”

“He is so forgetful that way! Poor Lady Katara, she must have been beside herself with worry.”

“Oh I think it’s more than worry.” Jia-Li winked.

“Oh Jia-Li, when are you going to get that silly fantasy out of your head!” Lan scoffed.

“It’s not a silly fantasy, it’s reality.” Jia-Li smirked.

“That’s what you said before you found out Lady Katara married Avatar Aang, may he rest in peace.” Lan said. “You had the world’s worst temper tantrum known when you found out Lord Zuko wasn’t going to marry her and whisk her off into the sunset.”

“I was six-years-old! Besides, it’s different this time. I just compared her and Lord Zuko to Oma and Shu and she couldn’t kick me out fast enough!” Jia-Li’s grey eyes started to glow. “That’s classic behaviour when you’re in denial about being in love.”

“And you would know all about that.” Lan chortled. “I bet a lilac that Lord Zuko and Lady Katara are the best of friends, nothing more.”

“If I am wrong, I will give you a hundred lilacs.” Jia-Li plucked the flower from a nearby vase and gently brushed Lan’s hair so she could tuck it behind her ears. She took the opportunity to brush her thumb against Lan’s cheek, making the procession of female musicians sigh longingly at the display of affection. “But even then, I’ll still give them to you because I love you.”

Lan gently smacked Jia-Li on her beefy arm, but she smiled anyway.   

The couple and their supporters went to inform Fire Lord Izumi of the events that had transpired in the hall, but afterward Katara didn’t leave Jia-Li’s thoughts. She wished the waterbender the best of luck in her second chance for love, for if Jia-Li didn’t grow up listening to the stories of how a firebender loved a waterbender in spite of a world that would never accept them, she might not have ever taken a leap of faith.


	5. The Cave of Two Lovers and Candles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the final chapter, Katara wonders whether she should tell Zuko about their past lives.

Zuko awoke from his nap with a jolt when he heard the sound of a body being slammed into a wall down the hall and the shrill shriek of one of his guards. The noise made Druk get up from his resting spot in the corner of Zuko’s room and utter the most threatening growl that could be delivered from his throat. Zuko trusted Druk with his life, but he still reached for his dao swords. It never hurt to be prepared, especially when you just got out of bed and are wearing nothing but your robes.

Thank Agni he was wearing his robes.

The sight he would see would remind him of one of the many dreams he had had.

There was Katara entering his room, lips slightly parted as she was out of breath and her long, white hair cascading down her shoulders as the sun gave her curls an ethereal glow.

The image made Zuko drop his dao swords.

In the background Druk was laughing at Zuko as he stopped snarling and went back to rest in his sleeping spot, but Zuko didn’t care. Zuko’s heart hadn’t skipped a beat like this for a while.

“Katara?” the other woman didn’t respond and she just kept walking towards Zuko until she reached for his hand. Her other hand held Zuko’s wrist so her right hand could gently press his fingertips against her own. He blushed a little at the action, but Zuko kept quiet as she looked at his hands in wonder before she gently pulled his hand so she could press it against her cheek and cradle it. Zuko cringed at how pale and wrinkly his hand looked in contrast to Katara’s beautiful, flushed brown skin but Katara just smiled at him and sighed with relief.

“You’re still here.” She said.  

“Oh… Well, yes. I was going to go to Air Temple Island to pay you a visit, but Izumi forbade it when I-”

“No.” Katara corrected, letting go of his hand and cupping Zuko’s cheeks in them. “I mean you’re still _here_.”

Zuko stared at Katara when large tear drops emerged from her eyes and that was when he realised why Katara had appeared out of thin air.

“Oh Katara, I’m so sorry!” Zuko grabbed both her shoulders and looked her straight in the eye. “You must have been so worried! Izumi makes such a fuss when I get the slightest cold or fever, but I feel much better now! In fact, I think reading The Cave of Two Lovers for the hundredth time was better than the medicine they gave me!”

 Zuko laughed at his silly attempt of a joke but Katara just stared at him, like something had changed.

“I’m okay, really.” He took her hand and squeezed it, as he didn’t like when Katara worried too much. “The fever wasn’t pleasant, but I promise you I am not going anywhere any time soon. Unless… There’s something else you wanted to talk about?”

Katara wiped away a tear and pressed her head against the crook of his neck. Zuko felt his heart beat several hundred miles a minute, but his arms instinctively wrapped themselves around her waist. She was a lot thicker around the middle than he had remembered, but that didn’t bother him one bit. Neither did the fact that she was old, wrinkly and grey. Katara’s hugs still felt the same after so many years.

“Just… Hold me for a bit.” Zuko smiled as he buried his face into her hair.

“I can do that.”

Zuko was pretty sure his heart was gonna burst if he kept holding Katara like this for much longer, but he would risk a heart attack for this quiet moment. He had thought about paying Katara more visits to the Southern Water Tribe than what would be deemed appropriate by a lot of folk, but he didn’t want to intrude upon her happiness or anger Aang’s spirit. Just having these tender little moments were all Zuko needed, as long as Katara was happy.

At least, he hoped Katara was happy…

“Father? Father?! Are you all right?” Izumi’s voice broke through the sombre, romantic tension in the room. “I swear to Agni Jia-Li, if anything has happened to him-”

Fire Lord Izumi strolled into Zuko’s room and her bespectacled eyes zoned in on Zuko and Katara’s cuddling session. Katara looked like a cat deer caught in headlights when she spotted Izumi intruding about their reunion and Zuko’s blush went from his neck to his ears. Izumi took after father, as her face turned red and her face started emitting steam that fogged up her glasses. She looked like a tea kettle and she spluttered noises that made her sound like one too!

“I’m so sorry! I’m interrupting a-a _moment!_ ” Izumi gasped out the last word like it was a dirty one. “I’ll leave!”

“No, no, no, no Izumi, you have got it all wrong!” Zuko let go of Katara, much to her disappointment. “She was just worried, that’s all! I’m one of her last living friends! And you made her think I was on my way to be reincarnated because you wouldn’t let anyone see me!” 

“Father, I am just trying to ensure your recovery! You can’t be too careful at your age! I will however, apologise for needlessly worrying Lady Katara.” Izumi solemnly bowed her head to the waterbender. The action made Zuko roll his yes. 

“You don’t have to be so formal, Katara is one of my oldest friends and if I remember correctly, changed your diapers as a baby. Right, Katara?”

She looked away into the corner and blushed. The out of character behaviour made Zuko blink.

“Katara?”

_“You will see Shu again, but you won’t recognise him and you will be bitter enemies rather than lovers. However, you will be friends again.”_

‘I can’t back down now, I can’t back down now.’ Katara repeated to herself. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. ‘I won’t back down now.’

 _“You will not be his wife, but you will be together right until your last-”_      

“Izumi wasn’t wrong.” Katara said, bracing herself for the worst. “We were having a moment.”

Katara hadn’t forgotten what Madam Wu had said. The fortune teller made it clear that she and Zuko would never be together as lovers ever again, but she didn’t care. Even if she was flat out rejected by Zuko, she was happy as long as she took her destiny into her own hands.

No fortune teller would decide her fate for her.

Zuko and Izumi stood there in silence, staring at Katara and trying to process what she had just said. Zuko looked like he was about to copy his daughter’s imitation of a tea kettle while his daughter looked like she was about to explode from embarrassment. The entire situation made Druk cackle at his human masters in the background and think that this human drama was better than the novels his person liked to read aloud to him. Katara didn’t care though, as she was feeling at peace since the first time she had that fateful dream.

“Oh hush you scaly reptile!” Zuko chided Druk when he finally gained his composure. “Izumi my dear, could you give me and Katara some privacy? I think we need to talk.”

Izumi blushed and stuttered a “O-of course!” before she ran out the room and slammed the door behind her. Once she left, Zuko turned to Katara and cupped her cheek in his hand. It was Katara’s turn to feel like her heart was going to burst into a million pieces as Zuko looked deeply into her eyes.

“You… like me.” Zuko said softly. “And… not just as friends?”

The way those golden eyes gleamed in hope and anticipation and the way his breath hitched as he asked that question made Katara giggle into her hands. Zuko impatiently demanded that she answer him but as usual, Katara never bended to his will. After she wiped another tear from her eye, she said:

“Really Zuko? Do you still need reassurance at your age?” Katara was smirking, but her heart melted at the way Zuko smiled at her.

“Yes.” Zuko admitted, the tips of his ears turning red. “I thought you’d never like me. To be honest, I’ve always had a bit of a crush on you, but I never acted on it because... Well, you know. I never thought you’d reciprocate it but after everything we had been through I was just happy to be your friend and be close to you. I love you so much Katara.”

Katara couldn’t comprehend Zuko tenderly holding her hand, as a flash of lightening and the sight of blood was clouding her senses.

Did he remember too?

Should she ask?

“I feel the same.” Katara said, remembering all the things that happened in their relationship up until now.

“I’m so happy you do.” Zuko hugged her. “What changed?”  

“I… read one of your letters last night by candlelight. I always keep your letter in a box under my bed and read them before I go to sleep.” Katara brushed a strand of hair from Zuko’s brow. “Whenever I feel lonely, I look at them and feel better. The truth is Zuko, last night I realised that was you were my closest friend and much, much more and I couldn't go another minute without telling you. I didn't want to waste any more time.”

Katara didn’t think it was necessary to talk about the memory with Zuko, as their past lives had no bearing on how they felt about each other now. The memories were pleasant and sweet, but it didn’t set their futures in stone. Katara had flown all the way to the Fire Nation because she wanted to be by her friend’s side, not because of a memory in a past life. All it did was clarify feelings she had kept buried.

That was why she gently leaned in and pressed her lips to Zuko's.

They were together now and that was all that mattered.

“Aww.” A freed Lu Bu could be heard cooing from the doorway. Zuko and Katara ignored him and the other guards spying on them, but Izumi was unhappy at the way they all whispered ‘YES!’ and ‘finally.’  

“Could you PLEASE get back to work!” the Fire Lord shooed them all until every last one of them was gone. She stopped to look at her father and Katara and allowed herself to smile at them. She closed the door and went about her day as normal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who left kudos, comments or liked/reblogged posts on tumblr! Hope you had an awesome Zutara Week!


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